Golden Steps To Salvation

SR No.: 008710
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Padmasagarsuri
Publisher: Arunoday Foundation
Publication Year: 1994
Total Pages: 224
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Philosophy, & Religion
File Size: 12 MB

Page 90

76
कहते सो करते नहीं मुह के बड़े लबार ।
काला मुंह हो जायगा साइँ के दरबार ॥
Kahate so karate nahi
Muha ke bade labar
Kala muha ho jayaga
Sayike darbār.
"The words of those who preach without practising are deceptive. In the Lord's Court, their faces will grow dark with guilt."
on
A certain scholar while delivering a discourse religion said that eating brinjals was sinful because the brinjal contained seeds; each seed had a life in it; destroying jivas was violence; violence would bring sin and the bondage of sin would take the sinner to hell hence those who had faith in religion should give up eating brinjals. The discourse was over. The listeners returned home. The scholar was also returning home. On the way, he saw a vegetable shop and his eyes fell on a heap of brinjals which were round, small and fresh. With the money he had obtained as offering at the discourse he was buying brinjals. A man who had listened to the discourse also came to the shop to buy vegetables. He caught the scholar red-handed. The listener said, "Hello Sir! What are you doing here? In your discourse, you exhorted people not to eat brinjals but now you are buying them. Why so?"
The scholar said, "Brother, the fact is we should not eat brinjals described in the Shastras but these brinjals are meant to be eaten. The two are not the same. Moreover, we preach what is written in the Shastras. We cannot help doing so. We should not do injustice to the writers of the Shastras. We should not be unfaithful to them. Our duty is to explain what is written in the Shastras. By carrying out that duty we receive the moneyofferings. In my discourse I preached that people must